A Brave New World
by strykyr
Summary: After a head injury a man finds himself stuck in a strange land. Will he ever be able to make it back...or will he even want to go back?
1. Prologue

**A Brave New World**

**Prologue**

Jared Hayes was just your average smart, but slightly introverted kind of guy. Often times he would spend most of his time either reading or being outdoors; video games and internet dabbling didn't mean much to him. Today he found himself walking down one of the quiet forest trails near his house. He had always found that nothing was more relaxing than the peaceful sounds of nature, the chirping of the mockingbirds, the gentle rain, the rustling of the leave; nothing else put him at such ease.

His average build coupled with his blonde hair, and blue eyes had always earned compliments from the girls, but he had never found one that he fancied. He dated occasionally, but it had never been much of a priority for him.

Lost in thought as he walked down the trail, Jared barely noticed that the sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon. "Fuck…" He scorned quietly, mentally kicking himself for walking so far into the woods when night was approaching so soon.

The sun had fully set by the time Jared reached the edge of the forest. He had taken a shortcut to make it out of the woods faster. Hopping from stone to stone and jumping over dips in the ground, jolted like lightning, but he didn't notice a stray rock jutting out of the ground till it was too late.

He fell down a small hill landing at the bottom with a heavy thud. "Ow…My head" Jared felt the warm trickle of blood on his fingers as his vision began to spin and he slowly faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>"What happened?" He whispered to himself suddenly noticing the numbing cold. As Jared stood up, he shook off the frost that had formed on his coat. He felt his head while he slowly began to recall what happened to him.<p>

After washing the blood out of his hair with the last remains of a water bottle, he decided to try and find his way back to the trail. Nearly 20 minutes had passed before Jared gave up looking for the trail out of frustration. "I swear it was here…" Jared's voice trailed off as he heard voices off in the distance.

"So… Fluttershy, what exactly are we looking for?"

As Jared neared the source of the voices he strained his eyes to see who was speaking. Sticking his head out of the bushes ever so slightly, he saw two small oddly colored ponies. "I must have really messed myself up…" He whispered quietly as the two ponies began to chat idly amongst themselves.

Jared stuck his head back in the bush causing a branch to snap loudly. "Damn it." he said angrily as the two ponies began to look around for the source of the noise. "Fluttershy did you hear that?" The purple mare began to approach the bush that Jared was hiding in. "it's O.K little guy, you can come out…" The yellow mare cooed at the bush with a gentle smile on her face. "I must really be going crazy?" Jared mumbled climbing slowly out of the bush. He chuckled nervously as the two ponies stared at him in shock. "This can't be real…I must still be unconscious."

The purple mare swallowed nervously and opened her mouth as if to ask a question, but no sound came out.

"I…ummm…you're…uhh…" The yellow mare nervously muttered before she made a sudden squeak and jolted behind a bush in the distance.

"I have never seen a talking horse before…" Jared said while forcing himself to smile.

"What are you talking about? Everypony can talk." The purple mare replied quietly.

"Everypony? You mean everybody?" Jared nervously corrected her beginning to fear that he was not unconscious after all.

"So who…or what are you?" The purple mare asked quietly, raising her eyebrow at him.

"My name is Jared. Ummm, I'm a human?" Jared answered trying to push the thoughts of him possibly being insane out of his mind.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is Fluttershy" The mare answered looking back at Fluttershy who promptly gave him a shy smile from behind the bush.

"Nice to meet you Twilight, so where am I exactly?" Jared looked around the slightly unfamiliar forest.

"You are on the edge of the Everfree Forest" Twilight gave him and incredulous look.

"And this is where?" Jared replied somewhat sarcastically.

"In Equestria, perhaps you should come with us…" Twilight suggested seeing that Jared still looked very confused.

Jared gave the forest landscape one last look before following the two mares out of the forest. He looked in awe at Ponyville "Wait so there are more of you. Maybe I'm not going insane I'm just still dreaming." His voice was full of relief.

* * *

><p>Jared saw a large tree in the center of the town. "So this is where I live." Twilight said looking back at him.<p>

"You live inside of a hollowed out tree?" He said as he gave her a look of disbelief.

"It's also a library!" Twilight told Jared happily.

"Who's this?" Rainbow dash asked loudly as she soared out of the blue of the sky.

"Wait, you guys fly?" Jared said really starting to get shocked by the whole situation, "How is this even possible? First talking horses, now flying talking horses that have rainbow manes…This has to be some kind of joke right?" He mocked as he began to back away from them slowly.

"You're kind of cute." Rainbow Dash said with a clever romance in her tone to Jared. "My name's Rainbow Dash."

"That's nice…ummm I have to go…" Jared began to run out of Ponyville. His heart was racing. He could not stop thinking about ways to snap himself out of this crazy dream.

As soon as Jared reached a large field outside of Ponyville he sat down to catch his breath. "This is one hell of a dream…I hope I don't freeze to death before someone finds me…"

"Aww, why did you run away?" Jared jumped when he heard Rainbow dash's voice behind him. She noticed his look of disbelief, "What? you didn't think you could out run the fastest flier in all of Equestria did you?" Jared was slightly surprised at how prideful Rainbow Dash was.

"You're pretty sure of yourself of yourself, aren't you?" Jared smiled in counter trying not to sound too cocky.

"I could make it from one end of this field to the other in ten seconds flat." Rainbow Dash replied boastfully.

"On foot, to that rock over there on the other side of the field!" He declared, in the idea that if this was a dream he might has well have fun with it.

"Is that a challenge?" Rainbow Dash smirked.

"What do you think?"He smiled, meeting dash's gaze.

"You're so on!" she exclaimed.

Dash landed next to Jared as he got two feet away, "You ready?"

"Yes" Dash said confidently.

"Go!" Jared shouted taking off as fast as his own two feet could carry him. He noticed Dash was right behind him, her rainbow mane flowing in the wind. Jared struggled to keep up his speed as he began to lose his breath. He looked behind to see dash was still going strong, but ultimately, he won.

"Yes!" Jared proclaimed proudly has he made it past the rock and to the far end of the field. It took him several moments to regain his breath before he looked up to see that Dash just staring into the grass, kicking it to reveal dirt while looked slightly disappointed. "What's wrong Dash?"

"I'm just not used to losing…" Rainbow Dash appeared to shake her disappointment off quickly giving him a smile, "So what are you anyway?"

"I'm Human." He answered calmly sitting down next to her.

"I've never heard of 'humans'." Rainbow Dash was starting to sound bored.

"Anyway, I'm sure that your friends are still waiting for me back in Ponyville." Jared said as he stood up. He noticed how small these ponies really were; Rainbow Dash was barely over four and a half feet tall.

Jared stood back as she flexed her wings and took off into the sky. He began to look around at the trees before realizing that it was actually springtime here. He also realized that Equestria must not be an industrialized society, the air was really clean. Instinctively he pulled out his Iphone to check his text messages before realizing that it would of course, not work. He looked at it feeling slightly disappointed before attaching his ear phones, and resuming his walk back towards Ponyville.

* * *

><p>As Jared reached Ponyville's library, he saw that Twilight was sitting outside of the door. As soon as she saw him she grinned. "So… I'm sorry I ran off like that…" Jared said feeling slightly guilty.<p>

"Oh! It's ok." Twilight replied with a friendly smile, "So I was reading and I didn't find anything about humans. Is your species capable of magic?"

He could tell Twilight was brimming with questions before she could ask anymore, he interrupted her, "So do you know somewhere that I could sleep. I don't really have a home here."

Twilight motioned for him to follow her into the library; ducking slightly as he followed entered the building. "I apologize for the door, you're just taller than what we are used to." She gave him an apologetic look.

"It's ok…" Jared looked around the surprisingly large library.

"I have an extra bed upstairs that you can stay in if you want." Jared noticed that Twilights tone had changed slightly to something more bright. "So do you like to read?" Twilight had obviously seen his look of surprise.

"Yeah…I love to read." Jared replied sitting down in one of the slightly undersized chairs. He was surprised when Twilight levitated a book off of the shelf; he had never seen something like that before. "Whoa how did you do that?" He gasped in question.

"What?" Twilight replied while nonchalantly, flipping through the book.

"You just telekinetically picked up that book; that's amazing!" Jared found himself dumbfounded once again.

Twilight blushed, "That's nothing."

"What do you mean? I've never seen anyone able to do that." Jared watched as she put the book back on top of the high shelf.

"So humans can't use magic?" Twilight asked, pulling out another book and laying it on the table.

"Well, where I'm from, magic exists only in the realm of fairy tales, but to be honest so do unicorns and pegasi…" Jared explained, looking intently at the worn book that Twilight had set down upon the table.

"So humans are incapable of magic?" Twilight looked disappointed.

"I don't know. It's obvious the laws of physics are different here…" His voice trailed off, "I don't know how to perform magic so I guess we will have to figure it out together." Jared gave Twilight a determined smile.

After several minutes Twilight managed to explain the concept of magic to him. "…It's also important to focus while you are casting the spell." Twilight finished explaining.

"Ok, I think I got this" He stood up and stretched his hands outward.

"Why are doing that?" Twilight gave Jared a confused look.

"I just saw it in a movie."

"A what?" Twilight sounded perplexed

"I'll explain later…" Jared replied returning his focus to the book.

* * *

><p>After nearly ten minutes of constant focus on the book he was just about to give up when the book jumped forward several inches. "Whoa…did that really just happen?" Jared felt a small rush of excitement.<p>

"So what do humans eat anyway?" Twilight asked after looking at the clock.

"We are omnivores." Jared replied, suddenly realizing how hungry he was.

"So? You eat meat?" Twilight gave him a slightly disgusted look, before following him out of the library "I thought gryphon's and diamond dogs were the only sentient species that ate meat?"

"Hey, don't get me wrong I like a good salad" He chuckled.

Jared looked shocked when he saw the restaurant that Twilight was taking him to. "The Sugar Cube Corner" He read the sign out loud.

"Ooooo….who's that!" A pink mare exclaimed jumping out from behind the counter.

"Pinkie Pie, I would like you to meet, Jared." Twilight said calmly.

Jared was shocked when the mare screamed and ran past them. "What's up with that?" He questioned in shock.

"Oh, she's always like that." Twilight reassured him. The two sat down at a table in front of the small confectionary. "So tell me more about yourself…"

"What do you want to know?" Jared said, looking hungrily at the cupcakes that had been set before them.

"Were do you come from?" Twilight asked, before taking a bite out of the cupcake.

"Earth." Jared replied. He was starting to wonder when he would wake up or if he wasn't really dreaming after all. He began to think about what he had learned in physics, about the possibility of being trapped in a parallel dimension.

Twilight seemed to have a never ending thirst for knowledge. The two would talk for nearly 3 hours before a stallion with a cake symbol ushered them out.

"You should come with me to see Rarity." Twilight said; Jared wasn't sure if that was a question or command. He shrugged and followed her to a rather exquisite looking building down the road from the Sugar Cube Corner.

* * *

><p>Immediately upon entering the building Jared noticed a white mare working furiously on a piece of fabric. "Hello darli…" Her voice trailed off when she saw him walk in the door.<p>

"This is Jared." Twilight said, if she noticed how surprised Rarity was she didn't show it.

Rarity ran over to Jared and began inspecting his shirt. "This garment…It's simply marvelous I have never seen a design like this."

"I guess?" Jared replied monotonously.

"You guess?" Rarity started to look closer at the V-neck t-shirt "It accentuates your muscles very well." Jared began to get the odd feeling that Rarity was not looking at the shirt anymore. Rarity seemed to ignore Twilight has she explained what had happened to him, and were he had come from. "So if he's trapped here he will certainly need cloths to wear." Rarity replied suddenly her grin seemed to double in size.

"Ummm yeah I guess…" Twilight gave her friend an odd looking seemingly ignoring Jared's uncomfortable expression as Rarity started taking measurements "Anyway I have several errands that I need to do, Jared I guess I'll see you back in the library…bye."

"So I don't really have money to pay for shirts…" Jared scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. Sitting down in a small chair next to where Rarity had been making her dress.

"That's ok darling…I would however like something in return." He knew what Rarity was getting at "How about you let me give you a special introduction…"

Jared was caught off guard when she kissed him. He settled into the kiss playfully exploring her mouth with his tongue. His mind went blank as Rarity advanced upon him easily removing his shirt. Suddenly he snapped out of it to instantly break the kiss.

"Aww, why did you stop?" Rarity said with a disappointed tone.

"We aren't even the same species!" Jared was seriously starting to doubt his own sanity. "First I get teleported to a land of ponies…and then I started making out with them?"

"Do you think that earth ponies only date other earth ponies?" Rarity sounded particularly amused at his reaction. "In any case why don't we take this to the backroom so we don't have any…Interruptions." She gave Jared a flirtatious smile.

He stood up quickly, "yeah I'm not comfortable with this…"

Rarity gave him a look of mock disappointment "Oh…well ok… I can have your shirts ready in a day or two."

"Thank you." Jared gave her a smile starting to feel slightly guilty.

"Anyway come back, if you want to design another shirt..." Rarity blew Jared a small kiss as he walked out of the small boutique, letting out a small sigh after closing the door behind him.

"What is the deal with these ponies?" Quickly ducking under a tree as Rainbow Dash went soaring through the sky above him.

Jared reaching the library hoping that Twilight was there, He was slightly disappointed when the library was empty.

**Well this is my first story this is my first story reviews are appreciated **


	2. Chapter 1

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter one**

Jared pulled out a book from the shelves, titled "The History of Equestria" and began to read it. After several hours had passed, he heard the door open.

"Hello Twilight!" He greeted.

"Hello Jared, I would like you to meet my number one assistant; Spike." Twilight replied to him warmly.

"Whoa…" Spike said raising an eyebrow at him. However, after a moment, he yawned and walked upstairs without giving Jared a second look. Jared watched him ascend the stairs and plop into a small basket with a blanket.

"So what were you reading?" Twilight asked as she flipped the book upside down "Oh I love that book; even if it is slightly out of date."

"I noticed that it doesn't have Nightmare Moon's return" Jared replied, sitting back down in his chair. "So you used the Elements of Harmony to kill Nightmare Moon? I thought Equestria was a non-violent place?" Jared asked, before using his magic to try and scoot the book over to his side of the table; his attempt failed to move the book more than 3 inches. With a sigh of frustration Jared reached over and grabbed the book.

"Don't worry you'll get it eventually," Twilight reassured him, "anyway we didn't kill her. We simply destroyed the curse."

"So then Nightmare Moon was simply a corrupted form of Princess Luna?" Jared asked, flipping the book back open to the page where he had stopped.

"Exactly," Twilight yawned "I need to get some sleep…"

Jared looked at the clock suddenly realizing how late it was, put the book away. Twilight walked up stairs and laid down on the bed. "Twi', it is ok if I call you that right?" He saw her nod "It's been such a long day… I'm going to take a walk; I just need to think some stuff over."

"Okay…" Twilight mumbled quietly as she turned off the lights, and went back to bed.

* * *

><p>Jared found himself walking down the dark road leading out of Ponyville. Looking up at the stars he couldn't help but to marvel that out of all the places he could be trapped in, at least he was in a friendly place.<p>

Jared had been walking for nearly 20 minutes before finding a small grassy knoll. He was depressed about the fact that it was unlikely that he would ever see anyone that he had known back on earth. Jared stared at the stars desperately wishing that they had the answers. He was yanked from his thoughts when he heard a loud noise behind him; he turned around to look to see what it was. "Who's there?" Jared shouted defensively.

He was shocked to see a large white alicorn standing behind him. Her white coat seemed to glow in the pale light of the full moon. He was lost at his breath and words seemed only flutter away at the precursor of them. "A-are you Princess Luna," he nervously asked.

"No, I am her older sister Celestia," the large mare explained calmly.

"So, what exactly are you doing here," Jared asked curiously, not completely sure what to say to the ruler of Equestria.

"Twilight Sparkle sent me a letter saying that an odd, but friendly creature had appeared outside of Ponyville," as she explained Jared was instilled in thought of how beautiful she was. The way Celestia's mane flowed in the wind had him entranced. He quickly scolded himself for thinking about that and resumed listening to her, "And I was flying to Ponyville to investigate."

Celestia walked over, and sat down next to him. Jared was surprised to see that she was almost as tall as him when she sat down. "So your sister does all of this every night?" Jared calmly asked.

"Luna has always had an artistic flare." Celestia claimed as she stared contently up at the beautiful night sky.

"So… do you know how I wound up here?" Jared asked while he looked at her starting to feel slightly lonely again as the memories of his family and friends came back to him.

Celestia seemed to be able to read his mind. "I'm sorry, but there are just some questions that not even I can answer," She said as she gave Jared a sympathetic look, "The universe works in mysterious ways not even Luna and I know everything."

"Ah… I was afraid of that," Jared answered looking back at the ground. He was surprised when Celestia nuzzled him gently. Her soft fur tickled slightly as it rubbed against his skin. "I guess of all the places to go, this was the best, it's so peaceful here." Jared watched as a small breeze blew through Celestia's mane.

"Well I hope that you enjoy here it here." She stood up "However, I have a kingdom to run. Perhaps I will see you again." Celestia nuzzled him before taking off into the night.

Jared snuck back into the dark library while trying not wake Twilight from her slumber and was relieved when he managed to slip into his bed without waking her or Spike. He fell asleep almost as soon as he had gotten into bed.

* * *

><p>Jared opened his eyes to see sunlight beaming through the balcony doors. He immediately noticed that Twilight and Spike where gone, so he decided to fix his hair, which was horrible in the morning. He reached into his pocket only to realize that he didn't have a comb. Jared also quickly realized that he had to go to Rarity's place to get his new clothes. After yesterday Jared was not excited about having to return.<p>

"Hello?" A voice called from downstairs. Jared was surprised to see somepony walk in without knocking.

"Who are you?" Jared asked as he watched the wall-eyed, grey Pegasus dig several letters out of her bag.

"Hi, I'm Derpy Hooves, and I have a letter for Ms. Twilight Sparkle." the mail-mare exclaimed cheerfully. "Ohhh," Derpy gave him a quizzical look' "You must be _the_ human?" Jared was surprised that she had already heard about him.

"How did you know what I am?" He inquired.

"Berry Punch told me." The mare states as she handed Jared the letters.

Twilight walked in before Jared could ask Derpy anymore questions. The mail-mare turned around, flew out the door and happily continued her mail route. "Hmmm…" Twilight inspected the letter for a few seconds, before laying the letters on the table. "So did you want to practice your magic again?"

"Sure!" He smiled, before turning his focus to a book at the far side of the library.

Twilight saw the book begin to nudge slightly off the shelf. "Good, now try and see if you can set it in front of me." He barely noticed Twilight speaking, his entire focus being on the book.

Jared felt a surge of confidence as the book slowly levitated over to the table. A few tense moments passed before the book fell onto the table directly in front of Twilight. "See you can do it!" Twilight gave him an encouraging smile.

"Whew…" Jared groaned trying to mask his exhaustion, "That was actually pretty tiring…"

"Well, you have only been doing it for about a day." Twilight pointed out "Also Rarity said that your clothes where ready."

"About that, does Rarity usually make out with dude's she barely knows?"

He saw Twilight burst out laughing "What?" After a few seconds Twilight calmed herself down, then with a half serious face she tried again "Well I think there was this time a few months ago with this stallion from Manetreal. I guess Rarity does tend to like the 'exotic'."

"I'm exotic?" Jared replied incredulously.

"Very…" Twilight imitated Rarity's voice.

"Wait? Did you know about this?"

"Of course!" Twilight laughed "She told us this morning. I just wish Applejack was there when she told us."

"Why's that?" Jared remembered Twilight telling him that Applejack would be in Appleoosa till her cousin started feeling better. Applejack's personality was similar to several of his friends back on earth so he was somewhat excited to meet her.

"Applejack still pokes fun at Rarity for the one night stand with that stallion" Twilight giggled "Rarity is pretty, ah…, persuasive." Jared was not surprised. He had been pretty entranced when she had first kissed him. Still somewhat troubled by the species difference, he was beginning to accept that eventually he was going to wind up with a mare.

"Ok, well here it goes." Jared exasperated as he walked out of the library.

* * *

><p>Jared had walked about halfway to Rarity's Boutique when Derpy Hooves suddenly landed directly in front of him, almost hitting him. "Here, this is for you," Derpy exclaimed happily. He watched the Mail-mare fly away before he opened the letter.<p>

Dear Jared,

I enjoyed our meeting last night, and I was wondering if you wanted to join me tonight? Same place same time if that's ok. I have also included another paper explaining how to magically return this letter. Twilight informed me you had been learning magic. It's fairly simple you should be able to do it; anyway I hope to see you then.

Sincerely,

Princess Celestia

Jared pocketed the letter as he walked into Rarity's Boutique. "Hello dear…" Rarity greeted him without looking back from her sewing machine "I left your clothes on the counter… I received a large order after you left, but I still managed to get several pairs done…" He was relieved to see that she was busy. It meant she wouldn't have time to flirt with him. Jared thanked her and quickly made a stride out of the Boutique with his new clothes.

Jared's thoughts drifted back to the time he had spent with Celestia. He was surprised at her ability to reassure him. He figured that was why she was so popular here despite the fact that she was an absolute monarch.

* * *

><p>After walking into the library Jared sat down at the table and began to read over the short piece of paper that held the instructions to magically send a letter. "Hmm… focus on the pony you want to send it to and blow magic flames on it…How does one blow 'magical flames'?" Undeterred he wrote down the letter quickly the held the letter in front of him. "Here goes nothing…" He exhaled quickly and was surprised when a small flame came out of his mouth; quickly enveloping the letter. "Holy crap!" As he dropped the letter it disappeared before reaching the ground. Jared looked back at the clock and was slightly disappointed when he noticed it was just a little bit past noon. He decided to check out Ponyville to kill some time before leaving for Everfree again.<p>

After walking around the town for nearly ten minutes Jared began to become aware of the strange looks he was getting. He was surprised when a dark pink mare approached him "Hello!" She looked so excited. "My name is Berry Punch!"

"Your name sounds familiar…" After thinking for a few seconds Jared realized where he had heard her name "I think Derpy Hooves mentioned your name earlier today."

"Ah…well she's kind of a feather brain, but a good marefriend nonetheless" Berry smiled as the two began to walk down Ponyville's main street.

"Marefriend?" Jared asked as he gave her a confused look.

"We have been dating for almost 2 years!" Berry Punch answered proudly.

"Oh." Jared replied feeling slightly dumb for not realizing what she had meant.

"Anyway I have to go." She walked into a store, leaving Jared to continue walking around Ponyville.

* * *

><p>After nearly 3 hours of walking around the small town Jared spotted Twilight walking back towards the library. "Twilight!" He called out.<p>

"Oh hi!" Twilight smiled as he sprinted to catch up with her. Jared noticed she had a lot of stuff in her saddle bag.

"So what exactly is all of that?" Jared asked, noticing that the seams were about to give out from the weight of the bags.

"Books." Twilight said as she looked over herself; she could barely handle the weight.

"Do you need any help?"

"No" she panted "I've got it" Jared opened the door to the library, and watched as Twilight dropped the books onto the floor.

"Were exactly did you get all of those?"

She opened the bag and placed the books on an empty shelf. "I got them from Hoofany" Twilight sat down, letting out a tired sigh. "That was a long wa-"Twilight was interrupted midway through her sentence by a knock on the door "It's a library you don't have to knock!" Twilight yelled at the door.

A purple Alicorn with a bluish mane walked in. Twilight immediately went to her knees "I'm sorry Princess; I didn't know it was you." Getting back on her hoofs she asked the question that was already on Jared's mind. "So what are you doing here?"

Jared wasn't entirely sure what to do when the Princess walked over to examine him. "I just came to see this 'human'. Celestia said he was nice enough, but I had to see for myself." Jared had to compose himself from breaking in a "D'aww".

"Wait…" Twilight looked at him curiously, "Celestia's met him?"

"Yeah…actually I met her last night when I went on my walk." Jared began to blush slightly.

"And he's going to meet her again tonight." The princess said obviously trying not to giggle. Jared felt his cheeks grow warm; he was shocked at how bold the princess was. "Of course I can't blame her…he's not bad…" Luna winked at him.

Twilight seemed to have ignored the last part of what Luna said "You're meeting Celestia tonight?" Twilight turned her gaze from Luna to Jared, "Where at?"

"Well…there's this field outside of town…" He stopped to look at Luna who was starting to crack up.

Twilight gave Luna a serious look, "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry…" She immediate stopped giggling "It's just so long since Celestia has seen someone."

"Wait! I am not `seeing her`, we are friends…I think…I've met her once!" Jared replied starting to sound embarrassed. He quickly changed the subject "You know for a Princess, you are really forward."

"Life's so much more fun when you say what you think." Luna said slyly "…besides Celestia has always been the prim and proper one. She needs to loosen up if you ask me." Luna sat down lazily on a nearby chair.

They continued to talk for the next several hours before Jared looked at the clock. Realizing how late it was Jared grabbed his coat and said goodbye to Luna and Twilight before walking out of the library.

* * *

><p>As Jared reached the hill he thanked himself for taking his coat; the early spring air was still quite cold. He was pulled from his thoughts when he saw Celestia off in the distance.<p>

Jared watched as Celestia landed gently on the hill. "This is a pretty nice spot isn't it, Princess?" Jared said, watching Celestia sit down beside him.

"Call me Celestia." She whispered gently into his ear.

"How about Tia'?" Jared gave her a flirtatious smile.

"Of course…"

Jared felt his heart flutter slightly as he kissed the white mare. As their kiss grew deeper he ran his fingers through her silky mane. Celestia began to return the kiss gently exploring his mouth with her tongue. Jared was surprised when Celestia suddenly broke the kiss. "What…did I do something wrong?" Jared asked before he heard the loud rustling noise behind them.

"Show yourself!" Celestia yelled indignantly, her cheeks turning bright red.

**Cliffhanger! Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter**

**Strykyr& Mr. Colbing  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 2

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter two**

"I said show yourself!" Celestia yelled into the darkness of the Everfree Forest as a small figure emerged from the grass.

"Hey sis'" Luna replied nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here!" Celestia barked at her sister with an angry glare.

Luna walked over to them with a big grin suddenly appearing on her face. "It's nice to see you're opening up a little bit...But kissing on a first date? tsk' tsk'." Celestia's face turned beet red as her sister continued teasing her.

"Says the princess that made out with 4 different mares at her return party…" Celestia vengefully retorted. "Also, I do recall one of them walking out of your room the morning after."

"At least I didn't sit at a table and watch everypony else 'have fun'." Luna scoffed.

"Unlike you I have responsibilities…" Celestia growled as she scolded her sister "I rule Equestria. All you do is play around and raise the moon…"

Luna turned to Jared suddenly, "You know she hasn't gotten any action in almost 1500 years, right?"

Celestia's eyes widened in shock "Luna! How could you?"

"She's practically a virgin again" Luna jousted, giving Celestia a nasty glare "At least I say how I feel…I am tired of hearing about how you are so lonely…"

"Stop!" Jared yelled interrupting the two sisters "first of all Celestia that kiss was unexpected, but I don't really know you that well…I don't know…it just kind of happened, you don't have to be so embarrassed…really." Jared promptly turned his attention to Luna "Why exactly did you follow me?"

"I don't know…" Luna looked guilty "You guys are really cute together…if it helps any?"

There was an awkward silence between the three after that, but after a short moment she turned around. "I…I think I'll just let you two to your company then." She then spread her wings and with a running start she took to the air.

Jared and Celestia watched Luna as she faded into the starry night sky. "So…that was interesting." Jared said to break the awkward silence.

"Ugh!" Celestia groaned "She's right… I haven't even been on a date in almost 900 years…It's just the night we spent together I felt something that I haven't felt in a very long time, but I don't want to rush it…"

"So how about we take this slowly then?" Jared then wrapped his arm around Celestia pulling her into a gentle embrace.

"I think I would like that." Celestia said with a smile as she looked into his eyes.

Time soon enough passed and Celestia removed herself from his embrace as she looked over to the horizon and began to concentrate. Slowly, the sun rose from the distance and illuminated Equestria with a beautiful shade of dawn red. In his surprise, Jared looked over and asked her a question, "Have we really been chatting for that long?"

"Yes…and I have enjoyed every second of it." Celestia replied quietly, giving him a romantic smile.

"Same here" Jared watched Celestia stand up slowly.

"So, do you want to do this again?" Celestia asked nervously.

"Of course…" Jared gave her a small kiss, and watched as she flew off towards to Canterlot Castle.

* * *

><p>By the time Jared reached the Library the sun was already above the horizon. He saw the front door was slightly ajar. Jared was about to walk in when he heard a muffled whimper. "When The Great and Powerful Trixie is done with you, you're going to wish you were dead!" The feminine voice said angrily. Jared peeked in the slit and saw a light blue mare standing over Twilight, who was tied up on the floor. To the surprise of both Trixie and Twilight, Jared kicked open the door.<p>

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Jared shouted. Trixie turned to him, her horn beginning to glow. Suddenly Jared collapsed to the glow in agony, he felt like his skin was on fire.

"How dare you interrupt me!" Trixie sneered, closing the door silently.

"Stop it! He didn't do anything to you, I did!" Twilight pleaded.

"Shut your mouth! Trixie will decide who is worthy of punishment" Trixie commanded. Trixie used her telekinesis to shove an apple into Twilight's mouth to use as a gag. "Now you!" Trixie walked over to Jared, who was still lying on the floor.

"Who the fuck ar-AHHHH" Jared shouted in pain as the burning pain crept further into his skin.

"I am the great and powerful Trixie, and I came here to settle a score. Should you choose to continue to interrupt Trixie, you will suffer the consequences." She answered vengefully. "However; if you leave here and let me take Twilight I will let you go."

"O-Okay..." Jared stuttered. He let out a sigh of relief as Trixie broke the spell.

"Now let us be." She demanded as she turned around, giving Twilight an evil grin, "No one's going to save you now."

As soon as Trixie turned around to face Twilight, Jared focused as hard as he could on a bookshelf at the far end of the library. He watched as all of the books on the shelf went flying. Trixie was knocked off her feet.

"You are going to pay for that you filthy ape!" Trixie shouted, suddenly getting back on to her feet.

Jared ducked as a pulse of magical light flew over his head. "Bring it!" He shouted defiantly, while using his magic to hurl a wooden statue at Trixie. Jared felt darkness encroaching on his peripheral vision.

"Jared don't…she's too strong!" Twilight shouted, spitting out the apple. Before Jared could answer, he was hit with pressure wave causing him to fly across the room and fall to the floor with a loud thud.

"You should have listened to your friend" Trixie sneered, watching Jared slowly fade into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>When Jared opened his eyes he was in complete darkness. "Hello?" Jared shouted. His voice was met with deafening silence. He tried to stand up only to find that his arms and legs had been bound by rope. After a moment of silence, he began to listen to environment around him, and he heard voices come from above.<p>

"Please don-AHH NO STO-Mmmff" A familiar voice deathly screamed.

"Stop yelling!" the other voice barked, "I want to enjoy this…" she resumed with a sinister calmness.

Jared tossed and turned through the dark, looking for some way to get out of there. He eventually rolled himself into the corner and landed his hands on an old jigsaw. He turned over and clenched it between his knees and dragged the ropes on its jagged blade. After several minutes Jared was finally free, he then used his hands and took to cutting his feet free as well; and like before, he unbound himself.

"Please… Trixie… no…" The voice groaned weakly. Fearing for the worst, Jared felt his way through the darkness until he found wooden steps and followed them up. Noticing a small amount of light streaming from the slit at the bottom of the door, Jared quietly pressed his ear against it hoping to hear what was happening. "Mmmpppff Trixie what are you doing?" Twilight screamed. Jared was horrified by how desperate her voice sounded.

"Trix-…I am going to ruin your life like you did mine." Trixie quietly sneered, causing a small chill to run down Jared's spine. He opened the door and peered through the crack to see what was happening. Jared was shocked to see Trixie forcefully kissing Twilight while running a scalpel down her leg, and stop abruptly as she pulled her attention away.

Suddenly he felt a strong force pull him into the room and suspend him in midair. "It seems we have an observer…" Trixie announced, breaking her kiss with Twilight. "But that's ok. You can watch as the great and powerful Trixie breaks her soul…"

"Twilight!" Jared shouted. Ropes shot out from the ground instantly wrapping his arms and legs once again. Apparently satisfied that he was restrained, Trixie turned her attention back to Twilight.

"Why are you doing this?" Twilight cried.

"Why is Trixie doing this?" Trixie roared "You ruined her life, and now she is going to ruin yours. Trixie was just going to kill you at first, but now she has a better idea." Jared could see Trixie's evil grin.

"Mmmmppf" Twilight moaned as the blue mare resumed in forcing her bitter and heartless kiss on her, cutting her chest with the surgical scalpel.

After several minutes Trixie climbed off of Twilight, her chest bloodied and cut open, revealing her flesh, she was losing blood. "Trixie wants us both to enjoy this." Trixie said calmly, her horn causing the air around her and Twilight to shimmer. Jared attempted to yell for help but was quickly cut off by Trixie gagging him with a rope. "Trixie doesn't want you to ruin this for her." She scolded him quietly.

Jared watched as Trixie unfurled the rope wrapped around Twilight's hooves. "Twifffilight…ru-"Jared yelled. The rope was muffling his voice to the point where he could barely be heard.

"She's not going anywhere now" Trixie said confidently "The spell Trixie just cast was an entrancement spell."

"whfat dohf yoe meafn" Jared questioned.

"That means that she belongs to me." Trixie answered.

"You vvont get awavvy with zis" He said while shooting her a look of pure hatred.

"You dare doubt Trixie? As soon as Trixie is done with Twilight, she is going to kill you both!" Trixie promptly tightened the rope to the point where Jared could no longer speak.

Twilight moaned as Trixie started to kiss her more powerfully, twisting the scalpel into her shoulder, deeper and deeper.

Trixie's head popped up when there was a small knocking sound at the door. "D-Don't stop…" Twilight blindly moaned in response from the spell subduing her mind.

"Who dares interrupt Trixie?" Trixie yelled angrily at the door.

She left Twilight and exited the room and into hallway of the house. She locked the door behind her and preceded to the living room; where she made a hurried dash to open the door without making her look too exhausted. She opened the door and behind stood two royal stallions from Canterlot Castle.

"Ma'am we have a couple of questions for you…there has been some trouble over in Ponyville." The voice questioned calmly.

Jared used his magic to undo the rope and Dashed to Twilight. "Twilight!" He whispered "Here's your chance!"

He saw that Twilight was hurt, badly and needed medical attention at once or else she might from the loss of blood. He grew every so dizzy in the astonishment that ponies like this existed and they would do such a thing to another.

"N-No" Twilight replied quietly still breathing heavy from earlier.

"What do you mean no? She is going to kill us." Jared murmured desperately. He was forced to put the gag back in when he heard the door shut.

Trixie opened the door to the room. "Well it looks like they are looking for you guys…But Trixie was much too smart for them." Trixie gloated.

Jared spit out the gag "But you weren't too smart for me!" He pulled over a bookshelf with his magic, causing it to fall on Trixie. Jared uncoiled the rope around his wrists and legs.

"Twilight I need you to snap out of it" Jared yelled as the bookshelf began to move slowly "That bookshelf isn't going to hold her for very long!" Twilight moaned gently in response. With a sigh he threw her over his shoulder and ran out of the house just as Trixie blew the bookshelf to shreds.

"Where do you think you're going!" Trixie roared. Jared felt his adrenaline rushing as he barreled through the door and onto the streets. "You think you can escape that easy!" She said in pursuit, following them out of the house.

"Stop her!" Jared yelled to the brown unicorn how had been walking away from Trixie's house. Before he could say anything else he was thrown off of his feet by a pressure wave causing him and Twilight to fall to the ground. Trixie teleported away before the brown unicorn could reach them.

"Are you ponies ok?" He said as soon as he got close enough.

"I am fine, but Twilight's dying, Trixie cut her open and to keep her from acting she put an entrancement spell on her." Jared informed the brown unicorn.

"Oh Celestia, we have to get her to the hospital now." He muttered to Jared, "But I'm glad to see that you two made it out in one piece." He gave Jared a relieved smile "Also, call me Detective Stables."

"Good to meet you, even if it's not under the best circumstances…" Jared put his hand out, before remembering that they don't have hands.

"We'll send in a team to get evidence from Trixie's house until you need to get to the hospital for medical attention." Detective Stables said, helping Jared prop Twilight onto his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Jared waited in the lobby trying not to fidget as he thought about what might happen to Twilight. A concerned looking mare in a nurse's outfit approached him. "Do you know what happened to her?" The mare inquired.<p>

"Trixie cut her open and put an entrancement spell on her." Jared responded gently.

"I see, well we have been able to stabilize the wounds, but I have never seen an entrancement spell act like this" The nurse informed him "Whatever it is, it's killing her, too…She might not make it through the night at this rate."

"W-What are the chances of her pulling through?"

"Around 10%, 15% at best" The mare noticed his worried expression "You can go see her if you would like to."

"Yes please…"

The mare showed him to the room and left him alone with Twilight. "I haven't known you long enough…you can't die on me…Come on Twilight pull through." Jared pleaded. For the first time since he was a child he felt his eyes begin to fill with tears. The unbearable torment and pain of being so helpless overthrew his strength. "There has to be something I can do…" Jared mused. A letter appeared in front of him causing him to flinch slightly. He grabbed it and opened it slowly.

Dear Jared,

I simply cannot believe this has happened. They told me what happened to you and Twilight. Twilight had mentioned that her and her friends had exposed Trixie as a fraud, and her subsequent humiliation. Still I cannot believe she would go this far to exact revenge on Twilight. I have some of my best trackers looking for Trixie and my best scholars looking for a cure to Twilight's curse, hopefully we can get some resolution on both soon. Anyway I hope to see you again soon.

Love,

Princess Celestia

After reading the letter he reclined in the chair, and listened to the sounds of Twilights soft breathing. Suddenly the breathing sounds stopped "Twilight?" He stood up, and pressed his ear to her chest. Her heart had stopped beating. "We need a nurse in here!" He shouted desperately "Twilight you're not going to die on me!" He began to perform CPR "Breathe goddamn it!" He screamed, tears clouding his vision. "PLEASE! DON'T GO!"

Out of pure desperation he placed his hands on her chest and tried to shock her heart back into beating. With each jolt he put into her chest he saw the darkness begin to creep into his peripheral vision. With one last jolt he heard Twilight gasp for air shortly before he passed out, and collapsed onto the floor.

**Well my first attempt at a more emotional/action chapter please review**


	4. Chapter 2B

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter 2.5**

**Strykyr & Mr. Colbing**

Celestia

Celestia was lost in endless amounts of paperwork. Her thoughts, however were on something completely different, she found herself unable to stop thinking about Jared. Just as she finished signing a paper on the addition of a new law, a guard burst in through the door. "Your highness, there has been a situation..." The gray stallion said in a low voice.

"What is it?" Celestia asked impatiently, turning her head away from the parchment.

"Somepony's attacked the library in Ponyville." The guard answered her in an apologetic tone "Twilight and Jared have gone missing."

"What do you mean?" Celestia said skeptically.

"Princess, the officers said there was a scuffle at the library." The guard faltered for a second as he noticed tears beginning to fill the princess's eyes "No one has seen Jared or Twilight since."

"I want you to put every available resource into this investigation," Celestia commanded, her voice turning from one of sadness to one of anger, "Find out who did this!"

"Yes, your Highness." The guard bowed respectfully, before leaving the room. Celestia began to pace the room. She could not return to her paper-work, not after this. After nearly ten minutes Celestia decided to fly to Ponyville.

With a small pop Celestia found herself in front of the familiar library. "Oh!" the police officer looked surprised "We weren't expecting a visit, your highness." Celestia looked in the open library door and saw a mess of scattered books and disheveled shelves.

"Do you have any leads yet officer?" Celestia asked. The scene in the library was worse than she had thought. She gasped and her heart stood still when she saw a scorch mark on the far side of the room.

"No, not yet." The Officer returned with a frustrated look, "We don't even know who did it yet."

"Very well." Celestia spoke, sounding dejected, "Please keep me posted."

* * *

><p>Celestia teleported back to Canterlot; and before the stallion could respond, she was back in her private study.<p>

Celestia walked over to her mat, and laid down on the cushioned mattress. She felt the heat from the roaring fire; it was a welcome change from the cool air; yet brought no comfort to her worries.

After several hours she felt tiresome, and sleepiness began to overtake her, she hadn't noticed that she had been crying nearly the entire time. Celestia was lost in memory over her prized student, and her newest love. Celestia didn't notice the door creak open slowly.

"Tia?" Luna asked entering the room and slowly walking over to her older sister. "I'm sorry..." Luna muttered beneath her breath. Celestia didn't respond, but instead continued to stare emptily into the fire. "You can talk to me." Luna invited as she nudged her sister gently.

"Twilight was like a child to me…" Celestia whimpered.

"They don't know if she is dead or alive." Luna tried to reassure her distraught sister, "She could still be okay."

A letter appeared with a small pop and landed in front of Celestia at that very moment. She continued to stare at the fire ignoring the letter. Luna picked up the letter, and gave her sister a hopeful smile. "Their O.K!" Luna exclaimed in her unusually loud voice. Celestia's ear darted up intent in listening and her eyes instantly came back to life.

"Let me see that letter." Celestia politely demanded as she took it from her sister and held it in front of her face. Her heart fluttered with hope upon reading the letter. "I wonder if they are hurt…" Celestia mused as she hastily scribbled a letter.


	5. Chapter 3

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter three**

**Strykyr& Mr. Colbing  
><strong>

Jared awoke in a hospital bed with a blanket on his lap. He took in a breath of fresh air through his nose to embrace the chill of the room as he opened his eyes. He looked over to see Detective Stables asleep in the chair next to his bed. "Hello?" Jared said as he reached over to shake the unicorn until he finally woke up.

"Yes? Oh!"Detective Stables instantly hopped out of the chair "I'm glad to see you are awake! I dropped by here to see if you had woken up and I guess I kind of dozed off…"

"Is Twilight ok?" Jared asked, climbing out of the bed, he felt slightly dizzy upon standing.

"Be careful standing up. You have been sleeping for almost 3 days" the nurse interjected, as she walked into the room. Jared looked at the vial of green liquid that she was carrying in her mouth.

"I'm not going to have to drink that am I?" Jared said with a disgusted look on his face.

"Unless you want to wait a week or so for your energy to come back, I would advise that you drink this." The nurse answered sternly. "Besides it's tasteless. It isn't as bad as it looks."

"Ok…" Jared said, taking the vial in his hands and swirling it around, he smelled it and smelled like salt water and vinegar. Not knowing what to expect he let out a long breath of surrender and took a swig of the potion. He noticed that not only did it not have a taste, but it made him feel tingly; this was followed by a small bit reassuring rush of energy.

"Well if that will be all…" Detective Sables looked impatient.

"Quite." The nurse replied, giving Detective Stables a dirty look as she walked out of the room.

"Anyway Twilight was released yesterday." The Detective explained "Now on to the reason why I came here, they found Trixie. She gave our guys a hay of a time trying to get her to the station, but we won in the end."

"I bet…" Jared said, thinking out how she had managed to best him at the library.

"We have a motive and enough evidence to move to trial." the Detective continued, "Unfortunately I must ask a favor of you before I leave."

"Depends on what it is." Jared replied nonchalantly.

"Well Trixie has agreed to a confession to other crimes she is suspected of committing, on one condition…She wants to talk to you." The Detective said, bracing himself. He was surprised when Jared didn't seem too upset.

"Sure?" Jared said, raising an eyebrow; "But why me?"

"We don't know…"

* * *

><p>Jared ducked under the short doorway into the cellblock. He noticed that almost all of the cells were empty. The cell at the very end had a blue mare sitting on a bench. He saw Trixie grin as soon as she saw him. "There he's here, you have 5 minutes." Detective stables said, giving Trixie an angry look.<p>

"Trixie wants you to leave before she will talk to him." She stubbornly sat in silence until the detective walked out of the cell block.

"Why did you call me here?" Jared said hatefully.

"You may have stopped Trixie from killing Twilight but you cannot save her from herself." Trixie grinned.

"What do you mean?"

"Our minds are still linked from the spell… Get me out of this hellhole or Trixie will make Twilight end herself." Trixie explained.

"You're crazy if you think I am going to get you out of here." Jared said dismissively.

"Very well…" Trixie replied "Either way Trixie wins."

* * *

><p>By the time Jared reached the library it was dark. He saw the inviting light come out of the window. "Hey Twilight I'm back!" Jared said sounding excited as he walked inside. He was met with silence. "Hey is anyone here?" Looking around he noticed a small note propped up against a book.<p>

Dear Jared,

They told me that you woke up not too long ago. I am in Canterlot picking up some magical supplies; I will be back tomorrow night. I believe Pinkie Pie had something that she wanted to tell you when you got back.

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle

* * *

><p>Jared's stomach rumbled when he smelled the cupcakes in the bakery. "Hey, have you seen Pinkie Pie?" Jared asked the stallion behind the counter.<p>

"I'm afraid I haven't…" The stallion gave him an apologetic look, "However she did say to give you this envelop." The stallion pulled a frilly envelope out of his apron. Jared opened the letter and saw that it contained an invitation. He saw that it was an invitation to a party at Club Poni.

"Where's Club Poni?" Jared hadn't noticed that the stallion had walked back into the kitchen.

"Dude, you got invited to Club Poni?" A mare with a neon green mane approached him in awe. "That is like, the coolest club ever! I heard that Pinkie Pie even got DJ Pon-3 to come down from Manehatten to DJ at her party!"

"Ok…So where is this Club Poni?" Jared asked while he mind pondered if her manes color was its natural color or if she had it dyed. He looked back to the booth were her friends had been sitting and noticed that they also had neon colored manes.

"It is just outside of Stringson City." The mare stated with an incredulous look, "You just take the road west out of Ponyville, and you will see it. It's about a half an hour walk." The mare smiled at him, before rejoining her friends.

Jared returned to the library, and read for an hour before thinking about Celestia. He quickly wrote her a letter and used his magical flame to send it. By the time he sat back down in his chair a letter appeared in front of his face.

How about the same place from earlier this week?

Jared wrote a quick reply with his confirmation and left the library.

Upon reaching the familiar grass hill Jared saw that pearl white mare waiting for him once again. "Long time no see, Tia'" Jared said slyly.

"I missed you to." Celestia greeted him, as he sat down beside her, "I was so worried after I heard that you and Twilight had been kidnapped…" Jared noticed the concerned expression on her face.

"What matters is that we are both ok and Trixie is where she belongs." Jared reassured her. He couldn't help but think of what Trixie had said in the jail cell. "Hey did you hear Pinkie is throwing a party at Club Poni?"

"Yes, Luna and I both received invitations" Celestia said blankly. "I'm not sure I want Luna to go, but I can't really stop her I guess…"

Why don't you want her to go?" Jared chuckled; he was already fairly certain on why Celestia didn't want Luna to go.

"She is just so forward" Celestia replied, confirming his theory, "you should have seen her at the return party. I mean now ponies are more open to…those kind of relationships, but it is still conduct unbefitting of a royal."

"So she's-"

"Yes…" Celestia interrupted him, "before she was banished, the majority of ponies were against such relationships…I spent many hours trying to cover up her secret trysts. This only made her more resentful and angry. One day despite my protests, she came out openly announcing her, preferences publicly. Many ponies rejected her, and began to make hateful remarks. Causing her to sink into depression, this sadness turned to anger. It was on one fateful day she let darkness into her heart, and transformed into Nightmare Moon."

"The history books never mentioned any of that." Jared said, gazing up at the full moon.

"The history books can only tell so much."Celestia answered calmly.

Jared watched as Celestia laid down, resting her head on his lap. He leaned down kissing her softly. His heart skipped a beat as their lips connected. She closed her eyes and embraced the passionate kiss. He changed position lying down beside her, and began to kiss behind her ears, down her neck and down to her shoulder filling her body with a sensual, warm energy.

"J-Jared" Celestia moaned "Yes…" Emboldened by her moaning Jared began to move further down to her chest. Her tightened embrace slowly began recede as was nearly getting ready go the full mile. "I-I'm sorry…" Jared looked up to see Celestia's guilty frown.

"Why are you sorry?" Jared said reassuringly.

"I can't scold my sister for conduct unbefitting of a royal, and then have sex with a stallion, err human on our third date. We don't know each other well enough." Celestia looked at the ground, as if preparing for him to lash out.

"That's totally ok…" Jared replied nonchalantly. He saw Celestia perk up almost immediately.

"Ugh…" Celestia groaned, "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course." Jared wrapped his arms around Celestia gently running his fingers through her mane.

"I hate being the pure mentor…" Celestia snuggled closer to him "Everypony expects me to have the answers…I'm sorry I let it get that far, Jared."

"Don't be…"

"It has been so long…" Celestia said quietly "Since I have allowed anypony to get this close." The two laid in each other's arms for nearly an hour before falling asleep.

Jared awoke with a start, looking around the field only to see that Celestia had left already. He was shocked that he had just slept in the middle of a field. Jared tried not to think about bugs as he stood up. Giving the field one last glance to make sure nopony had seen him, Jared set off towards Ponyville.

Almost immediately after entering Ponyville Jared was spotted by Pinkie Pie. He looked somewhat anxious as the pink party mare happily skipped over to him. "Hello Pinkie…"

"HI!" Pinkie Pie had a huge grin "So didja' get my invitation? Huh?"

Jared quickly reached into his pockets and pulled out the slightly damaged invitation. "Yes, I almost forgot to rsvp." He said apologetically.

"No problem!" Pinkie replied excitedly. She walked away quickly, greeting a crème colored mare that had been walking behind. Jared slipped away before she had the chance to talk to him again.

"8:00 AM? Seems somewhat early for a party." Jared thought aloud as he entered the empty library. Looking at a small stack of letters he saw a rolled up piece of parchment with his name on it.

Dear Jared,

The magical ingredients store in Canterlot had to order some of my supplies. So Spike and I will be staying in Canterlot. Anyway, have fun at Pinkie's party.

Sincerely, 

Twilight Sparkle

Jared spent the next few hours thumbing through history books and books on magical science, before looking at the clock and noticing that it was 7:30. Jared felt his stomach rumble; he had never gone to a club before. He wasn't sure if pony clubs were like human clubs, but he was excited to go either way. Jared grabbed his coat and walked out the door.

Jared saw Rarity walking out of Ponyville and decided to greet her. "Hey Rarity!" He called out. She turned around and saw him, she smiled and stopped so he could catch up with her. "What's up?"

"Umm…the sky?" Rarity looked puzzled, "Why do you ask?"

"No I mean from what I've heard I just can't see you going to a party?" Jared inquired, looking off into the horizon.

"Normally… no…." Rarity said with a hint of embarrassment, "However; Pinkie said this would be a very special party. I heard she somehow managed to get DJ Pon-3 to come down from Manehatten. Besides Pinkie' was pretty disappointed when Twilight wasn't able to come, and Fluttershy refuses to come to most of Pinkies special parties…"

"Special parties?"

"You know…" Rarity explained with an embarrassed tone, "The ones with alcohol…"

"Oh!" Jared was surprised, "I figured most of her parties had alcohol…"

"In Ponyville?" Rarity laughed, "You are joking right? They don't even sell alcohol in Ponyville."

* * *

><p>Jared soon reached the club and approached the entrance. He saw two gray stallions standing at the entrance, checking invitations. Just as he was about to step into the line one, of the gray stallions beckoned him to a second row that was empty "This one is reserved for our VIP's" He said while showing Jared into the club.<p>

"Hey! looks who's here!" Luna shouted. The club was so loud it was only by chance that Jared heard her. "Let's see how well you dance!" He had never been to very many parties, but he was an O.K dancer.

Jared watched as Luna levitated a drink off of one of the mares that was walking around with a tray full of drinks. "Have you ever had Apple Kick before?" Luna said ash she offered him a drink.

"No, I don't drink." Jared replied.

"Your loss." Luna shrugged as she quickly gulped down the alcoholic beverage. Jared danced for a few minutes before walking over to the bar. Almost immediately as he sat down, a letter appeared in front of him landing onto the counter. Jared could already tell it was from Celestia

Dear Jared,

There has been an emergency. Twilight has broken Trixie out of jail, and they have both gone on the run. I will be arriving there momentarily.

Sincerely, 

Celestia

"What!" Jared reread the letter hoping that he had misunderstood the message.

* * *

><p>After several minutes Jared walked out of the club with an unnerved pulse in his neck. He saw that Celestia was waiting for him. "This can't be?" Jared muttered under his breath, still in shock.<p>

"I am afraid it's true..." Celestia confirmed, "I talked to one of Canterlot's best psychologists they believe it has something to do with that spell that Trixie cast on her."

"But that's impossible…" Jared said, thinking back to what Trixie had said to him before, "Twilight said that she was in Canterlot."

"Twilight never went to Canterlot…"

"So she must have been planning this…" Jared mused "But shouldn't that spell have been broken when she nearly died?"

"Not necessarily." Celestia replied looking somewhat confused herself, "Now hold on to my wing we are going to Stringson." Jared grabbed onto her wing, and heard a small pop as a feeling of compression overtook him. He blinked when they were in front of the Stringson police building. Jared was shocked to see a large hole in the front of the building with rubble strewn about across the ground.

"I'm glad to see that you are here!" One of the officers greeted them, "The name is Morrison; I'm the police chief here." Jared watched as two stallions carried out a stretcher with a sheet over it. "They caused a lot of damage, but even worse one of our officers lost his life tonight…" The police chief said with a grieving voice.

"Who was he?" Celestia replied.

"Detective Stables…" Jared saw the stallion trying not to cry.

"Wait! Detective Stables? How?" Jared interrupted.

"She cornered him in the jail…Trixie murdered him in cold blood…like a damn butcher" The Chief finished, sounding furious.

"So what do we do now?" Jared said, looking at Celestia.

"We need to find them, and quickly" Celestia responded, sounding distracted.

"And we are going to do that how?" Jared looked at both Celestia and Chief Morrison hoping for an answer.


	6. Chapter 4

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter Four**

Alex

Alex walked quietly through the dark forest. The trails were empty; he preferred it that way. For a long time he had always been that 'quiet guy' that was simply invisible; that was until he got caught killing his principles dog. "He deserved it…" Alex whispered quietly to himself "How dare he give me detention?" Ever since then he was known around town as the local freak, people stared at him where ever went. He was constantly bullied at school, and the principal ignored him. After this he decided that hunting down people's pets was too risky, besides the local forest creatures were more of a challenge.

Alex heard a squirrel run into a tree. He took his bb gun out from behind him, and shot in the direction of the sound. He was satisfied when he saw the squirrel fall from the tree and flop onto the ground. Upon closer inspection he saw that it was still alive, but it was too injured to get away. Alex grabbed a switch blade out of his pocket, and flicked it open.

The squirrel let out a small squeak as Alex slit it open with his knife. He felt the sudden rush of adrenaline that he so desperately sought. He thought of all the people that had bullied him. With a quick slash he cut the squirrel's body open. "They will pay!" He shouted, angrily slashing at the squirrel once again. Suddenly Alex heard a noise off in the distance.

"Hey guys, let's go this way!"

Alex recognized the voice; it was Derrick, The biggest bully in town. He remembered all the pain that Derrick had personally inflicted on him. Alex thought back to when he was younger Derrick would never bully him, but that changed after he got caught killing the principal's dog. Now Derrick and his friends targeted him. Alex looked down at his blood stained switchblade "Now I will have my fun…"

Alex waited in the bushes until Derrick, and his friends walked by. After they had walked closely he stepped out of the bushes calmly. "Hello Derrick" Alex said, his voice was deadly quiet. Derrick turned around quickly.

"What the hell!" Derrick shouted, as Alex lunged at him with the switchblade. Alex was surprised when Derrick caught his hand, and hit him with a hard right hook. Alex fell to the ground and smacked his head, hard on the concrete trail.

"Dude," One of the other guys noticed the small pool of blood that was beginning to form around Alex's head "Let's get out of here."

"Let's go." Derrick said fearfully. Alex watched them run away, before slowly standing up. He felt light headed, his body tingled. Slowly he began to walk, barely able to see through the blood in his eyes he wandered off of the trail.

Eventually, Alex was unable to go any farther and collapsed onto the forest floor, and slowly faded into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>Alex opened his eyes, and was surprised to find the sun shining through the dense forest brush. He stood up quickly and nearly passed out again. After seconds the dizziness passed, but the tingling remained. "That bastard!" Alex yelled, suddenly remembering what happened. He looked down at the forest floor where he had been laying and saw the glint of his knife, quickly pocketing it; Alex began his search for the trail. "What is wrong with my head?" He groaned, rubbing his temples, Alex felt tingly, as if he had been sitting too long, and the blood flow got cut off for a short time. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had not woken up yet, but instead was trapped inside a vivid dream.<p>

* * *

><p>After several hours Alex began to grow angry. "Where the fuck is the trail!" he groaned as he kicked a nearby tree. Suddenly he saw a clearing in the dense forest, sprinting to see if it was a road, he was pleasantly surprised to see that it was the edge of the forest. Alex saw a small cottage with an odd design. "Where am I at?" Alex began to wrack his head, he knew these woods like the back of his hand, he didn't remember ever seeing a house, but he also thought he knew where the trail was to.<p>

Slowly Alex began to approach the cottage, noticing that there were several chicken coups on the edge of the yard. First peeking his head in the window to make sure there was nobody there, he flicked open his switchblade with a small click. "Come here chickens…" He called one of the chickens out of the coup. With a quick slash the chicken fell to the ground, and began to twitch slightly. Before Alex could do anything he heard 3 voices coming from the other side of the cottage. Alex retreated into the brush, and listened to the voices.

"I..Umm…Need to go check on my chickens, if that's ok," one of the voices said meekly.

"Of course." The deeper voice replied nonchalantly. "Fluttershy; Celestia and I are going to have to track down Twilight." The voice changed, sounding more reassuring, "Can you watch over the library until we return?"

"O-ok," The gentle, almost inaudible voice answered. Alex was shocked when he saw a yellow pony, and an average sized guy walk around the cottage.

"That must be it." Alex mused quietly, ignoring the two by the cottage; "I am still dreaming!" Suddenly Alex heard a loud high pitched scream.

"Who would do this?" The yellow pony cried. Alex examined the man closer, suddenly recognizing him.

"Jared? That can't be?" Alex whispered to himself. "Why would Jared be in my dreams?" Alex remembered seeing in the headlines that Jared had gone missing, but he spent much of the time in the forest, and he had never found Jared's body.

"It will be okay Fluttershy." Alex watched, as Jared desperately tried to comfort the distraught pony. Alex rolled his eyes, and watched as the yellow mare broke down into a crying fit. Eventually the two disappeared into the cottage. Deciding that it was too dangerous to stay there he quickly ran back into the forest underbrush.

* * *

><p>As he walked through the forest Alex was desperately trying to rationalize what was happening. "This must be a dream, there's just no other explanation!" Alex concluded, a twisted grin suddenly appearing on his face "which means I can do whatever I want!"<p>

After several hours Alex made a small campfire, in a small forest clearing not too far off of the main road. He began to squeeze his hands together slowly; he couldn't get rid of the tingling in his body, it made him feel numb, even disconnected. "It must just be part of the dream?" He muttered, moving closer to the fire, Alex cursed himself for not taking a coat. He reached into his pocket and began to open and close his switchblade nervously, examining it in the flickering light of the campfire.

Alex felt the urge to go hunting, but he didn't like this forest: he got the feeling that it was alive. He realized that for the first time in many years he did not feel safe in the dark. Alex wondered how easy it would be to kill these ponies. "They have houses, and they speak, these creatures must be sentient." Alex craned his neck to find the source of the rustling noise he heard off in the murky darkness of the dense forest.

Alex knelt down to throw several sticks into the fire, before lying down. The surface of the forest was covered in a layer of dry leaves, which crunched loudly as he laid his head down. Alex thought he saw a dark object fly across the sky, after several seconds of thinking about it he shrugged it off and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Alex woke up violently; his nightmares had tormented him for as long as he could remember. He shivered; as he stood up he noticed the smoldering remains of his fire. Alex broke off several sticks and tossed them on top of the small pile of embers, he sat staring at them, until small wisps of smoke began to emanate from the pile. He tossed several sticks on top of the fire when he saw small flames cover the sticks, he noticed his stomach rumbling. "I need something to eat," He mumbled, warming his hands by the small fire.<p>

Alex stared at the back of his pale, bony white hands. At 5' 9", 120 pounds he had always been small for his age, this made him a prime target for Derrick and his friends. He still heard their insults being hurled at him from across the hallway, he clinched his fists tightly as he remembered the torture he at endured, and the principal just ignored it. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from the direction of the main road.

The slow crunching of leaves suggested to Alex that somebody was walking. He crept quietly over to a large thicket of underbrush and peered out quietly. He was shocked to see a small mulberry pony admiring the foliage. He felt his stomach rumble again, he needed something to eat and quick. He flicked his knife open, and quickly hopped out of the underbrush without making a sound. The pony looked back, but before it could respond he jumped on it pinning it. He felt warm blood trickle over his fingers as he plunged his knife into its abdomen. He sat on top of it till he felt it stop struggling. He was however not prepared for the amount of effort it would take to drag the pony back to his campsite. Laying the pony on the other side of the fire, he sat down for several minutes; his heart was beating wildly, both from the effort to drag the pony back, and the rush he got from killing.

"Berry punch," a voice called out "Where are you?" Alex quickly figured out that the voice was coming from the main road, and it was really close. Panicking, Alex quickly put the fire out, and hid in the bush. He looked out and saw two mares walking slowly down the road, he flicked his blade open, before deciding that it was too dangerous to go after two at one time. The crème colored mare continued to yell, while the light blue mare peeked through the brush. "Come on, we have to go back" the crème colored mare called out impatiently, "some of us have stuff to do today!"

"Let's just go back," The blue mare smiled, "I bet she just got bored and went back to the house." Alex watched silently as the two walked slowly down the road. He silently followed the pair until he reached the edge of the forest, he gasped when he saw a small village not too far from the edge of the forest.

"They really are sentient," Alex admired the odd architecture of the houses "They look pre-industrialized." He suddenly began to think back to his history classes, he had always had an odd knack for remembering history, suddenly remembering that he had shared several history classes with Jared. He thought back to before he had been caught killing the principal's dog; Jared had always been nice to him, afterwards however, Jared simply ignored him. "Who is Trixie," Alex mused, still looking at the small village "and why is he tracking her down?"

Upon returning to his campsite, Alex realized he had no idea how to prepare a creature for eating. Unhappy with having to waste food, he dragged the pony off a good distance away from his campsite.

"These ponies must have food," Alex thought to himself, as he returned to the campsite. He began to think of ways to steal food without getting caught, as he rubbed two sticks together to start a fire. He put several leaves on top of the stick; and smiled with satisfaction as a small wisp of smoke snaked its way upwards into the sky. "If they are pre-industrialized they can't have street lights," He paced around the small clearing "Then that means they must likely do not have any streetlights." He was not only excited about food, but this would also allow him to go hunting in the small village.

* * *

><p>The day seemed to Alex, to stretch on forever. He walked down the road, as the sun quickly dipped beneath the horizon. His nerves were on edge, he dipped of the road seamlessly to a rustling noise coming from down the noise. He hopped up angrily when he figured out it was simply the wind. As he crawled out of the ditch he saw several withered apples lying beside where he had landed. Looking up quickly he saw a huge grove of apple trees, with some of the largest apples he had ever seen in his life.<p>

Alex reached up, and took a bite of one of the big red apples; he was taken aback by how sweet it was. "They must grow other crops," Alex reasoned proceeding further into the thick grove of apple trees. he walked slowly, gathering several apples in his shirt.

"Applebloom, it's time to come in," A male voice said sternly. Alex looked and saw a large colt, in the dim moonlight he couldn't make out what color it was.

"Awww, but I don't wanna come in," Applebloom whined. Alex slightly annoyed at their hick accents, he thought back to another group of people he disliked. He sat still, and watched, until the two walked quickly into a small farmhouse.

Alex sprinted over to the vegetable patch across the large yard behind the farmhouse. He grabbed several carrots, and disappeared into the night.

The fire was still burning when Alex returned to the camp. He sat down victoriously, and began to busily eat the sweet apples. He was not however satisfied, his need to kill, to control had not been fulfilled; his dislike of the everfree forest was enough to make him want to stay close to the fire.

After he satisfied his hunger, he quickly slipped into a fitful sleep.

* * *

><p>"So you say this is where you last saw Berry Punch," A male voice asked. Alex sprung up, immediately realizing how close the pony was to his camp.<p>

"Yeah she was walking with us," A familiar voice answered. Alex hopped behind a tree, just as a colt walked through the brush, and discovered his campsite.

The colt looked shocked when he found a blood trail leading off to where Alex had left the body. "I think we have found what happen to Berry," He replied solemnly "we need to leave… and quickly." Before the colt could run Alex leapt out from behind the tree and slashed at the colt. He gasped as the colt landed a solid kick to his abdomen; he collapsed to the ground in pain. "What the hell are you," The colt asked menacingly "And what did you do to Berry Punch?"

Alex hopped up and slashed maniacally at the colt leaving a deep gash on its flank. "Die," He yelled cutting the colt again, narrowly dodging its kick. He saw the crème colored mare run away, but before he could turn his attention back to the colt he received a powerful blow to his thigh, and fell to the ground.

"What did you do with Berry Punch" The colt screamed, kicking him in the chest. Alex wheezing, struggling to catch his breath he picked up his knife and threw it at the colt. The colt reeled, as the knife stuck into its throat.

He stood up slowly and walked over to the injured stallion. "Stick around and find out," He replied, plunging the knife deeper into the colts throat.

After several minutes he pulled the knife out and wiped off the colt's blood. "Damn these ponies," He muttered angrily, "Now I have to leave." He looked to make sure that the crème colored mare was gone, before running deeper into the Everfree forest.


	7. Chapter 5

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter 5**

"Now push" Celestia instructed firmly. Jared pushed, causing a small pressure wave to fly outwards. They stood silently, watching the flurry of leafs settle to the ground. "Good," Celestia said jubilantly. Jared gave her a gentle kiss, in the three days since they had left Ponyville, Jared felt like he had bonded more with Celestia in the last few days, than the rest of the time they had spent together. He did however, have Twilight in the back of his mind. Through several witnesses, they had been able to gather that Trixie had retreated into the Everfree forest. Celestia brought several guards as an escort for them, and so they could take Trixie back to Canterlot.

"Now try it again," She challenged him.

"I got this," Jared replied, giving Celestia a confident smile. He pressed his hands together and gave and outward push, causing a pressure wave to kick up a flurry of leaves, and snap off several tree limbs. He saw a squirrel go flying through the air, it landed on the forest floor with a small thud, before scurrying off into a tree.

"Your highness," one of the guards approached them, with their usual respectful gait, "we need to get moving."

"Yes," Celestia gazed off into the distance "of course."

* * *

><p>The trio rejoined the group, which was waiting for them in a clearing nearby. "Your highness," one of the other guards addressed her as soon as they entered the clearing "I believe that we have found the direction the Trixie is heading." Jared looked down and saw a small trail, with fresh tracks, leading to the other side of the forest clearing.<p>

"Hmm…" Celestia observed the trail, "But does it continue past the forest clearing?"

"Indeed it does your highness."

"Well," Jared said sounding relieved, "at least we have more of an idea where to go now?" He followed as the group followed the trail into the woods. He was in awe at the autumn colors of the Everfree forest; however he disliked walking through the thick underbrush. "Oww!" Jared exclaimed as a small thorn bush snagged his arm. He quickly threw on his coat, looking back at it.

"What?" The guard gave him a curious look.

"The thorn bush caught my arm." Jared answered plainly, as he walked faster to catch up with Celestia.

"Wait?" Jared said incredulously, breaking the silence "the trail splits?" The groups sat still for several minutes scrutinizing the trail, trying to find hoof prints.

"Apparently…" The guard replied "I guess we will have to split up." Jared kissed Celestia goodbye, and walked down the other trail with 3 of the guards.

* * *

><p>The silence of the forest was all encompassing. Jared was starting to get annoyed, as none of the guards seemed to have anything to say. "Did you hear that?" A guard whispered, snapping Jared out of his thoughts. After listening for several seconds he heard two voices coming from down the trail. Jared motioned quickly for them to move into the brush.<p>

"If that's Trixie and Twilight…" Jared addressed the head guard "It will be in our best interest to have the element of surprise." The group followed Jared slowly through the brush. His heart felt as if it was about to burst out of his chest. He looked back to see the nervous expressions on the faces of the guards as the crept closer to the campsite. He nearly struck out when he heard a stick crack before realizing it was a squirrel. "Okay, get ready for this…" Jared warned the guys, trying to conceal the nervousness in his voice. They peaked through the bush only to find a smoldering fire and a small bundle of sticks.

They emerged from the bush slowly, and peaked around at the campsite. Jared leant down to investigate the fire. "They were just here," he said, poking the fire with a stick.

"I don't see any hoof prints." the head guard replied, looking at the trail. Jared stood up, and began to look around the brush surrounding the campsite, spinning around when he heard one of the guards cry out. He ducked onto the ground as a wave of air sent the guards flying through the air.

"Hello, Jared." Trixie grimly said as she walked out of the thicket on the other side of the trail, followed by Twilight. Jared swallowed loudly, as he noticed the evil grins that permeated both Trixie and Twilight's faces. He quickly sent a small pressure wave at the small fire, spraying a cloud of ashes and fiery red embers at Trixie.

"Ahh! My face face!" Trixie screamed. Jared jumped, as she sent a small arc of lightning towards him. "You're going to die for that!" She roared before she teleported out of the way as Jared sent a large pressure wave directly at her. "Well, well; you certainly have gotten better, but you will not be able to defeat the great and powerful Trixie!" She cried out maniacally. He felt his hair stand on end as a second bolt of lightning passed dangerously close to him.

"If you think you are going to get away with this," Jared said menacingly, "you're surely mistaken." He hurled a large rock at her using his magic. Trixie quickly teleported out of the way, Jared sent a pressure wave at her as soon as she reappeared on the other side of the campground, causing her to fly back several feet, and land with a crunch on the forest floor. He noticed that she was dazed, and quickly ran over to Twilight who seemed to be in a trance. "Twilight snap out of this!" Jared looked over at Trixie who was beginning to stir once again.

"Jared?" Twilight said groggily "Is that you?"

"Yes." Jared replied, watching as Trixie hopped to her feet. "I could really use your help!" Jared begged before he felt a painful jolt as electricity rip through his body, sending him to the ground. "Ahh.." He groaned weakly, small wisps of smoke wafted off of him.

"Don't you hurt him, y-you bitch!" Twilight screamed. A bright beam of light emanated from her horn striking Trixie across her side.

"I assure you I am going to make you pay for that," Trixie grunted, in a dangerously low tone of voice.

"No!" Jared yelled, as Trixie struck a large branch above Twilight with her lightning, causing it to splinter, and fall on top of the small purple mare. "Oh no you don't!" Jared shouted, chasing after Trixie as she began to run down the trail. He ducked as she sent an arc of lighting at him, missing by centimeters. He leapt, tackling Trixie, forcing her down onto the forest floor. "This is for what you did to Twilight!" He shouted angrily, hitting her with a jab to the side. Jared grabbed her horn in an attempt to force her to stop struggling, he instantly regretted this. Trixie sent a surge of electricity through his body causing him to jerk back wildly.

"Trixie may not have won this time, but she will win the war!" Trixie said, dusting herself off as she stood up. Jared lay on the ground for several minutes gasping as his heart fluttered wildly, before succumbing to the creeping darkness.

* * *

><p>When Jared awoke he found several of the guards and Twilight standing over him. "She got away.." he said, with a twinge of disappointment "But at least you're ok."<p>

"It didn't hurt." Twilight replied, looking at the disheveled guards. "They freed me from the branch I was caught up under."

"The pressure wave must have knocked the guards unconscious," Jared said, rubbing his hand which felt slightly tingly "Trixie appears to be really dangerous; I thought that violence was uncommon in Equestria?"

"Trixie has definitely been training," Twilight mused, watching as two of the guards helped the third one off of the ground "She was weak when she was run out of Ponyville."

"Wait," Jared said, sounding surprised "is that why she wanted revenge?"

"Yes," Twilight replied.

"Write and tell Celestia that we have found Twilight." Jared instructed one of the guards, who promptly pulled out a scroll and a writing instrument out of a small saddlebag. Jared stood up quickly, brushing the leaves off of his coat. He felt reassured that Twilight was ok, but he knew that with Trixie gone there was still work to be done.

Almost immediately after the guard sent the letter to Celestia, a letter materialized in front of Jared. "Okay, Celestia is on her way." Jared read slowly.

Nearly an hour had passed, before Jared saw Celestia and her pegasi guards fly through the forest canopy. "Princess," Twilight greeted Celestia ecstatically, giving her mentor a hug.

"My most faithful student." Celestia replied, returning the hug.

"So how do we find our way out of this forest?" Jared mused, "I wonder if this trail leads to a road?" He hugged Celestia, feeling her soft wavy mane against his face.

"If this is correct," The head guard, a dull gray stallion, pulled out a small wrinkled piece of parchment "then this leads to the main road."

"Good." Jared said, with a sigh of relief, "Then we should proceed out of here before nightfall."

* * *

><p>As the sun began to dip below the horizon they reached a large muddy road that seemed to stretch on forever in either direction. Jared felt his eyesight being severely reduced; the inky darkness of the foreboding forest seemed to shade everything from view. He adjusted quickly when Celestia lit up the area around them with her horn. "Is that better?" She asked, seemingly reading his mind.<p>

"Help!" A voice cried out. They watched as a small crème colored mare emerged from a thick bush. "H-he's here!" the small mare trembled "Your highness, you must do something." The mare turned her head towards Jared and then screamed "Please don't hurt me!" Celestia looked at Jared, who gave her a surprised look.

"I assure you," Celestia said gently "That Jared is not going to hurt you-"

"No, he is," the mare interrupted "he killed Berry Punch and Colton!" Celestia looked at her skeptically. "Please your highness you must believe me," The mare begged.

"Jared was with me and my guards the whole time," Celestia replied sternly "There is no way that he could have done that."

"Your highness," The mare said sounding frustrated "I can show you Colton's body!"

"I didn't kill anypony." Jared replied, sounding bewildered.

They followed the mare into a small clearing. Celestia gasped when she saw the slain body of a brown stallion. "I know you didn't do this Jared…" Celestia said sounding upset "But we need to find out how this happened."

"These are knife marks" Jared said, kneeling by the body "I don't have a knife?"

"Your highness." One of the guards said emerging from the brush "There is another body over here." Jared followed the blood trail and found a mulberry mare with several large puncture wounds.

"It appears he is correct…" Jared said, giving Celestia a worried look. The mare appeared to have calmed down slightly.

"S-so if you didn't kill them then-"

"Is it possible there is another human in Equestria?" Jared asked Celestia, looking around the small makeshift campsite for clues. "Wait." before Celestia could answer, Jared bent down to inspect a shoeprint "It's definitely human." He gave Celestia a troubled look.

"I think it would be best if we escort Ms…" Celestia stopped before looking at the crème colored mare.

"Bon Bon…" the mare answered

"Back to Ponyville." Celestia finished.

**Dun dun dun cliffhanger lol**


	8. Chapter 6

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter 6**

"Do you think she will be ok?" Jared asked, giving Celestia a concerned look, as the two left Bon Bon with a doctor. He couldn't believe that of all people that had to be teleported here it was a serial killer. He sarcastically began to think that with Trixie and now the mysterious killer, his luck just kept getting better. The atmosphere in Ponyville was tense as the ponies watched Berry Punch and Colton's bodies were carried into town on stretchers. They were covered with sheets, but everypony knew who was under the sheets. Celestia sat there for a few seconds solemnly watching as the guards carried the two bodies down Main Street, before taking them into a small building.

"She is in good hands," Celestia replied quietly, looking back at Jared. He knew she was as troubled about this as he was, he could see it in her face. Jared looked off into the distance, and watched as the sun pushed its way into the early morning sky; setting the atmosphere ablaze with bright reds and yellows as it continued its rise. "I think it would be best if I stay here for a while," Celestia explained "this human is extremely dangerous, not mention Trixie is still on the loose. Unfortunately, I will have to check up on Luna in Canterlot, she has never really had to control Equestria this long on her own."

"Speaking of which," Jared said curiously "How do we know that the curse on Twilight is broken?" He couldn't stop thinking that this was not a peaceful land, but merely an illusion of harmony. He knew it was to be expected, after all nothing can be completely peaceful, there is always going to be fighting and power struggles between those with ambition. He merely wanted to believe, like all Equestrian citizens, that it was a tranquil harmonious place.

"That is going to be tended to" Celestia replied gesturing for Jared to follow her to the library. He began to think of what Trixie had said to him in the cellblock, he kicked himself for not saying anything to Celestia. He wondered if what would have happened, if he had told Celestia about what Trixie had said to him in the cellblock, Detective Stables would still be alive.

The pair entered the library and saw Twilight in shackles surrounded by three buff looking stallions. "Celestia," Twilight exclaimed, upon the sight of the princess "What is going on?"

"It is for your own good," Celestia's horn began to glow sending a gentle light over Twilight. "That's what I thought," she thought aloud, producing a small vial of clear liquid from inside of her golden chest plate, Twilight began to struggle as soon as she pulled out the vial. "The curse that caused this 'mind linkage' has one cure, aether juice, extremely rare and very potent it will resolve this once and for all."

"Why don't you just use your magic," Jared asked, watching Twilight begin to struggle furiously as Celestia walked closer.

"Magic, especially ancient magic, has rules;" Celestia answered matter of factly "Rules that even alicorns must follow." The guards forced open Twilight's mouth allowing Celestia to pour the potion into her open mouth. After Celestia emptied the bottle Twilight collapsed onto the floor, snoring deeply, as the guards released the shackles. "Perhaps I forgot to mention that the aether root is an important ingredient in the most powerful sleeping potions." She levitated her student gently to her bed pulling the blanket over her, after gently setting her into the small, but comfortable bed.

* * *

><p>Jared walked out of the library quietly with Celestia; the pair strolled down Ponyville's Main Street for several minutes before Jared finally broke the silence. "Celestia," he sighed thoughtfully "despite all that has happened over the past few days, I can't help but feel that even if I am here for the rest of my life I think it will be a good life. You make it all worth it; you are undoubtedly one of the most amazing ponies I have ever met." He brushed her mane to the side, as Celestia slowly parted her lips allowing their mouths to connect. Jared felt his heart race as their lips connected in a moment of fiery passion, He reached his hand around her head pulling her deeper into the kiss. He ran his fingers through her smooth silky fur; he could hear her moan as she got deeper into the kiss.<p>

"So," Celestia asked, breaking the kiss "is this a date?" Jared wrapped his arms around her; she willingly yielded to his embrace.

* * *

><p>The two wandered out of the town and down the road out of town, until they found a secluded apple grove on the outskirts of sweet apple acres. "Celestia," Jared said sensually "you are all I need." They locked in a powerful embrace, his lips meeting hers in the shade of the apple grove. Her breathing quickened as Jared playfully explored her mouth with his tongue. The warmth of Celestia's fur made him feel alive, as she laid down beside him.<p>

They laid alone in the grass two lovers as one, bare skin and open fur, as Jared slowly climbed over her, gently kissing her neck, while stroking her side. "Jared," Celestia moaned sexually. He moved down gingerly, until Celestia wrapped her hooves around him guiding him farther down to her chest.

In their tight embrace they didn't notice a figure watching them from a distance. The stranger looked at them in disbelief as the two lovers became one in the small grove. He silently snuck closer knowing the two were too caught up in their lustful embrace to notice him. "Celestia," Jared grunted, looking her in the eyes, pushing hard causing her to moan loudly. The stranger watched, as she writhed in pleasure. "She must be the leader," The stranger whispered, noticing the crown laying on the ground several feet away from the two "It could explain her size difference."

"That was amazing," Celestia groaned as Jared finished, lying down in the grass beside her "no stallion has ever done that well…"

"For a first time," Jared said, feeling content to lay with Celestia, a gentle breeze caused him to shiver slightly "That was unbelievable." He stretched his arm out to grab his shirt, before noticing that Celestia was admiring his abs, which despite the fact they barely existed he was still somewhat proud of. He heard a rustle on the edge of the grove, and what he thought was a muffled curse word. "Who's there," Jared asked, his cheeks flushing from fear that somebody had seen them.

"Who are you talking to," Celestia inquired, blissfully ignorant of the noise. Jared listened for several more seconds before replying.

"No one," Jared said, lying back down beside the princess "I thought I heard somepony." He felt the gentle tickle of the soft grass on his back. He felt himself drifting off into a peaceful sleep, comforted by the warm fur of the princess beside him.

"Whoa," Jared exclaimed, hopping up "How long have we been sleeping." He looked around the dark apple grove, as the Princess groggily stood up, and slipped on her royal garments. He put on his shirt, trying to protect himself from the chilly night air.

"I really need to get back to Canterlot," Celestia said regretfully "I guess I will see you soon." He followed her out of the apple grove and kissed her goodbye, as she flew off towards Canterlot. He admired her grace as she flew effortlessly through the sky. Taking a deep breath he began to walk onto the road, until he got that creepy feeling that he was being watched.

"Who's there," Jared shouted into the darkness, using his magic to light up the darkness "come out!" He unleashed a pressure wave in the direction of a fleeting shadow, causing several small apples to fly off of the branches. He felt the goose bumps on his arms, and he knew it wasn't from the cold of the night. Going against his better judgment he decided to proceed once more into the grove. "I said come out!" Jared said, trying to contain his nervousness.

He ducked as he saw the flash of metal in the moonlight. "What the fuck," Jared kicked at the figure landing a solid blow to its chest. After several seconds he realized that this was the other human "Why did you kill them," he asked angrily kicking the knife away before the stranger could grab it.

"They deserved it," The familiar voice grunted, struggling against Jared who was holding him on the ground. Jared thought for several seconds, he knew he had heard that voice before, suddenly it hit him.

"Alex," Jared said, the realization dawned on him, suddenly he realized what had happened.

"Jared," Alex replied, throwing Jared off of him and onto the ground "What are you doing here?" Alex sounded angry, Jared had found about what happened to the principals dog the morning after it happened. He decided never to talk to Alex again; he didn't want to have anything to do with a future serial killer. Truthfully however he felt bad that Alex was bullied on a daily basis, but he was afraid if people saw him helping Alex people would exile him also. "This is my dream," Alex shouted grabbing for the knife before Jared hopped on him.

"Why did you kill them," Jared replied angrily, grabbing Alex's arm in an attempt to get him into a wrestling hold "this isn't a dream Alex this is real, and unlike what you did to that poor dog this you are going to pay for!" Jared twisted his hand causing him to shout in pain.

"You think I haven't paid," Alex screamed "I have paid every day of my life, and you sat by and watched it happen, so you will die along with the rest of the scum." With a sudden burst of strength Alex threw Jared off, and leapt for the knife.

"You're a sick son of a bitch," Jared countered, dodging Alex as he slashed at him with the knife "you deserve it after what you did." Jared felt his knuckle crack as he punched Alex in the temple; his hand throbbing from the pain. Jared hit Alex with a pressure wave, as Alex lunged at him slashing at him with the switchblade. Alex flew back several feet and hit an apple tree on the other side of the grove.

"How did you do that," Alex groaned, unable to stand up. Jared levitated Alex's knife into his hands before Alex could grab it again.

"Magic," Jared replied, forcing Alex to stay on the ground. He could feel Alex resisting him, but it was not enough to break his hold.

"Even here," Alex said angrily in disbelief "You are sarcastic." Jared telekinetically lifted him up to a standing position.

"I think it's time for the citizens of Ponyville to see justice," Jared said, with controlled anger. He walked out of the apple grove with Alex levitating by him.

* * *

><p>Jared felt the shocked stares of Ponyville's citizens, as he entered they town square. "Behold," Jared shouted to the small crowd that had gathered around him "the murderer, he is nothing more than a pathetic shell of a person. Will someone please do me a favor and fetch the guards." Jared looked at Alex who was furiously struggling to resist Jared's control; he could feel the looks of hatred coming from the crowd.<p>

"Please," Alex begged, flashbacks of his past came rushing back to him "Jared, let me go!" Several of Celestia's guards that had remained in Ponyville came running over to the square. Jared released Alex after the guard had finished putting on shackles, which had been made for ponies, but still managed to fit around Alex's scrawny figure. "I will do anything! Please, they will kill me," Alex shouted, hoping that he could manipulate Jared into helping, but when it did resist he began to struggle against the guards "I will kill you Jared, if it's the last thing I do! I will hunt you down until I feel your heart stop I won't stop!"

"Shut it," one of the guards commanded kicking him in the ribs, as the dragged him into a makeshift prison cell. The crowd dispersed after the spectacle was over, leaving Jared alone in the center of the town square. He decided to check up on Twilight, who was probably still sleeping. He was relieved by the fact that they had captured Alex before he could kill anypony else, but he knew that trouble was not over yet as Trixie still roams the Everfree forest with a vengeance. Grabbing Alex's switchblade out of his pocket, he disliked even touching, know how many creatures had met their end with this very blade, but he believed it could be used as a last resort if Trixie were to come back to Ponyville.

* * *

><p>"Twilight," Jared called, lighting up the dark library, he saw her lying in her bed still peacefully asleep and decided to see what the Ponyville library had to read. Flipping through the books on the shelves, until he found a dusty looking book in the corner of the library, named arcane magic: spells of the pre-modern era "Hmmm," He mused, skimming through the book until he came upon an interesting picture of a unicorn with what looked like electricity coming from its horn "Lightning wielding, interesting." He remembered Trixie's ability to use lightning in the forest, and began to read about how to perform the spell.<p>

"Is anypony there," Twilight mumbled sleepily, climbing out of bed slowly. Jared shut the book and immediately walked up Twilight, surprised at her bedhead he chuckled slightly.

"Welcome back," Jared greeted her, still thinking about what he had read in the book "I'm guessing you slept well?" He watched as she walked over to the mirror and telekinetically combed her mane.

"Yeah," Twilight answered, with a smile "so how long have I been sleeping." Twilight turned to look out the window, and was surprised to find that it was dark outside. Jared could tell that she seemed happier, she seemed to glow. He figured that perhaps the spell that Trixie cast upon her caused her to become more negative.

"About 12 hours or so," Jared guessed, following Twilight down the small staircase. "Celestia had to go back to Canterlot to check on Luna, she figured you would be okay..." Jared absentmindedly continued to chat until he saw Twilight pick up the book that he had been reading earlier.

"Arcane magic," Twilight said, noting the age of the book "that is an interesting book to read, some of the spells are pretty difficult, but I could teach you if you want?" She gave Jared an encouraging smile; it reminded him of when they had started practicing magic several weeks ago.

"Cool," Jared replied, happy to see Twilight feeling better "I was wondering if you could teach me to cast this spell." He took the book and opened it to the page of the lightning spell, before levitating it over to Twilight.

"Hmm," Twilight thought "yeah I guess we can try, but I am not sure you are ready for this one yet."

"Great," Jared said, feeling particularly excited "so, where exactly can we go to practice this spell?" Jared looked around the small library, then back at Twilight.

Twilight thought for several seconds before speaking "I know a place, but it is a bit of a walk, if that's ok?"

"I don't mind walking."

"Okay," Twilight gestured for Jared to follow her, shutting the door after he walked out the door.


	9. Chapter 6B

**A Brave New World**

**Chapter 6b**

Alex

Alex fell to the floor, out of breath, after being kicked in the stomach by one of the guards. He could barely contain his rage, how dare Jared do this to him. This was his realm, wasn't it? Doubt began to swell in his mind as he thought back to hearing the old adage "You can't feel pain in your dreams." Struggling to hold the vomit back he stood up slowly, and stumbled over to an abnormally low bench bolted to the side of the wall.

Several seconds later, Alex heard a casual exchange of words between two of the stallion guards followed by the slam of the jail door, as the larger grey stallion left. He watched as the other guard approached the bars of his cell. "So another human, eh?" The guard remarked casually.

"Yeah? so what?" Alex replied, barely able to finish his sentence, before the white stallion seemingly morphed into a beautiful, but arrogant, looking mare.

"So, Trixie has hiding in Ponyville under the guise of one of Celestia's guards ever since her defeat in the Everfree forest. She saw your humiliation in the town square, and wondered if you would like in on her plan to get revenge. Trixie assures you, that it will be more than satisfying," Trixie finished with a nasty grin.

"What did you have in mind," Alex asked, as he thought about what he was going to do to Jared when he escaped. He barely heard Trixie, as he thought about Jared's warm blood flowing through his hands.

"By the end of this Jared and her highness's star pupil will lay dead at our hooves," Trixie morphed back into the white stallion "Trixie will be back for you later." She calmly exited the cell block, and was replaced by the mean looking grey stallion that had been watching him earlier. He grunted, reclining his head back against the cold concrete wall, and slowly slipped into light sleep.

Alex was woken up several hours later, by a rather loud clanging on the bars of his cell. "Wake up," The grey stallion commanded, glaring at him.

"What?" Alex responded angrily, noticing that several other guards had entered the room while he was sleeping.

"By decree of the princess you are going to see justice in Canterlot," The grey stallion replied, with the hint of a smile on his face "They will be your escort."

"Try anything and we have orders to kill you on the spot," The large stallion in golden armor interrupted. As the stallion finished his sentence, a chain snaked its way through the bars and wrapped itself tightly around his wrists, making his hands feel somewhat numb.

Alex walked slowly out of the Jailhouse, with guards on either side of him, and was forced into a small carriage. He noted that it had bars on all sides of it, but they looked like they were meant to fit a pony, as he could barely stick his hands outside of it.

**I must apologize about the long delay. things have been rather chaotic for me lately, anyway this is a short chapter but ch. 7 will be up soon. Thanks for reading**


End file.
